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School and University News

Uri Wilensky

Modeling the World: A Conversation with Uri Wilensky

August 11, 2026

Uri Wilensky realized more than 40 years ago that using computers to understand how complex patterns emerge from the interactions of many simple parts should be a core literacy. It was no less important than reading, writing, or math, he argued, and with the right tools, this audacious goal would be possible

NetLogo conference

NetLogo Users Step Off the Well-Worn Path

August 11, 2026

Before professor Lin Xiang discovered the modeling program NetLogo, using tech teaching tools felt to her like visiting a state or national park. “We were restricted to established trails and selected viewpoints, with no way to explore the rest of the terrain,” she said.

Jamie Sahara

SESP 100: Advantage Sahara

July 28, 2026

As captain of the men’s tennis team during his undergraduate days, Northwestern University’s Jamie Sahara (BS02) learned to lead a team long before he ever ran a company.

Professional headshot of Victoria, an olive-toned non-binary femme presenting person with shoulder-length dark curly hair. They are smiling and outside while their shirt has a small squirrel pattern.

Meet Victoria Concepción Chávez: PhD

July 22, 2026

An educator, scholar, and engineer, Victoria Concepción Chávez is passionate about accessibility, computer science education, and social justice.

Otherie Love

SESP 100: Otherie Love

July 14, 2026

Otherie Love (1920–2022) was a trailblazing educator, writer, and historian who was known as a voracious reader and lifelong learner. She made history in 1941 when she became the first African American student teacher in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 while studying at Northwestern University.

Alejandra Frausto Aceves

Meet Alejandra Frausto Aceves: PhD

July 13, 2026

Alejandra Frausto Aceves (PhD26) used hands-on, community-involved methods to study how diasporic families engage in sophisticated teaching and learning.

Logo

A Century of Learning and Leading

July 01, 2026

In 1926, the legendary U.S. Route 66 was established, A. A. Milne published his beloved children's book Winnie-the-Pooh, and Henry Ford implemented a pioneering 40-hour work week at his automobile factory.

First-Ever NetLogo Conference Comes to Chicago

June 19, 2026

The first-ever NetLogo user conference for both researchers and K-12 teachers runs June 29 to July 1 in Chicago at the University of Illinois at Chicago, bringing together the diverse communities of NetLogo users and agent-based modelers to share, learn, and make connections.

Group of PhDs

Third Annual Robing Ceremony Honors PhDs

June 17, 2026

Fourteen new PhDs were honored and gifted regalia before the 2026 convocation celebration during the third annual doctoral robing ceremony at Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy.

Anusha Kumar

Kumar Wins Fulbright Award

June 17, 2026

Northwestern University’s Anusha Kumar, an honors student who studied social policy, received a U.S. Student Fulbright Award to teach English in Linz, Austria.

Convocation co-chairs

SESP Convocation 2026: 'Mama, We Made It!'

June 17, 2026

Graduating seniors Sara Peña Figueroa and Denzel Higiro emceed 2026 Convocation ceremonies, closing in unison with the cheer "Mama, we made it!" — a reference to a career-focused podcast Higiro started at The Garage.

Honors cohort

Honors Class of 2026

June 11, 2026

Lea Kalkowski's senior honors thesis grew from her experience interning at a legal advocacy nonprofit. After helping more than 70 people through the process of expungement — clearing a criminal conviction from the record — Kalkowski wanted to dig deeper into the issues around implementing policy.

Cam Roberts playing sax

Can Creativity and AI Coexist?

May 29, 2026

Charles Logan (PhD26) had just finished encouraging his audience to resist using artificial intelligence and “learn from the Luddites” when a voice called out from the back of the room.

A three-panel portrait collage shows the same man at different stages of life: as a smiling child, as a young adult in glasses and a suit, and as an older man wearing glasses and a dress shirt with a patterned tie. The progression highlights aging and lifelong personal or professional development.

In Memoriam: Allan Collins

May 11, 2026

Northwestern University Professor Emeritus Allan Meakin Collins, a major force in the field of learning sciences and cognitive science, died April 20, 2026, after a short illness. He was 88 years old.

Shark Tank

SESP Grad Wins $100,000 on Shark Tank

April 09, 2026

Alumna Sloane Barry (BS22) and partner Brennan Hellmers appeared on Shark Tank, pitching SOMNIA+, a bed expander kit designed to make narrow dorm beds more functional and comfortable without replacing the mattress or using tools.

SESP Ranked No. 2 by U.S. News

April 06, 2026

Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) has earned its highest-ever ranking — No. 2 among graduate schools of education in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Sepehr Vakil

Vakil Helps Shape National AI Curriculum

March 31, 2026

Northwestern University Professor Sepehr Vakil contributed to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that offers strategies for integrating data and computing into K-12 education.

Mesmin Destin

Destin Joins Carnegie Foundation Push to Improve High School

March 31, 2026

Professor Mesmin Destin was named a senior fellow with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, joining a national effort to bridge the gap between what young people need to thrive and what high school currently delivers.

Bree Groff

Are We Having Fun Yet?

March 03, 2026

They call it work for a reason: It’s drudgery, something to slog through until payday. Or maybe you love your job—work is your passion, your identity and nearly all you do. Alumna Bree Groff (MSLOC14) offers a third way to think about how we spend five-sevenths of our week: What if work were simply more fun?

Students on Lauren Tighe's Bronzeville Trip

Seeing Social Policy Up Close in Bronzeville

March 02, 2026

Professor Lauren Tighe’s Child and Family Policy class took one of Dilla’s Mahogany Tours through Bronzeville on the South Side, connecting the policy they learned in the classroom with the communities those ideas shape.

Fungi

Fungi: Web of Life

February 17, 2026

Fungi and their vast, unseen networks can teach us a thing or two about relationships and well-being, professor Carrie Tzou (PhD08) said after a free screening of the documentary “Fungi: Web of Life” in Annenberg Hall.

Emotional Well-Being in a Wired World

February 05, 2026

Smartphones and social media are making our emotional lives “choppier” by speeding up and intensifying the information we receive, stress researcher Emma Adam said during a recent Northwestern University conference on social and emotional well-being in a digital world.

Carrie Tzou

Carrie Tzou Joins SESP Faculty

January 27, 2026

Alumna Carrie Tzou (PhD08), whose career has focused on helping students and educators feel connected to science and place-based learning, has joined Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy as a professor of learning sciences and associate dean.

Block Associates

Undergrads Named Block Student Associates

January 19, 2026

Undergraduates Keya Soni Chaudhuri and Symone Harris have been named to the 2025-2026 cohort of Block Museum Student Associates at Northwestern University.

From Hong Kong to Evanston, Graduates Mark a Shared Journey

January 08, 2026

Strength lies not in uniformity but in respectful diversity, graduate Zixin Ling said during convocation remarks for Northwestern University’s Master of Science in Social and Economic Policy program at the Ryan Family Auditorium.

2025: Year in Review

December 18, 2025

Stories from 2025 that highlight our community, research, and faculty excellence.

Susan Corwith

Gifted Education Leaders Earn Global, National Honors

December 03, 2025

School of Education and Social Policy faculty members Paula Olszewski-Kubilius and Susan Corwith, leaders of Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development, have been recognized for their work in the field of gifted education.

MTePP: Explore How Technology Shapes Society

December 01, 2025

Our new Master's in Technology, People, and Policy program explores how emerging technologies are shaping society—bringing together the technical, human, and policy dimensions of today’s most advanced digital tools.

Dominique Duval-Diop

Duval-Diop Joins New Master’s Program

November 18, 2025

Dominique Duval-Diop has joined the faculty for the School of Education and Social Policy's Master’s in Technology, People, and Policy program at Northwestern.

John Palfrey

MacArthur's John Palfrey Headlines Loeschner Lecture

October 22, 2025

John Palfrey, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is the featured speaker for the 2025 Ray and Nancy Loeschner Lecture Series on Leadership on Nov. 19 at Northwestern University.

Adrian Ayala-Perez

'And' Is in His DNA

September 25, 2025

Senior Adrian Ayala-Perez is making the most out of his opportunities at Northwestern.

Sepehr Vakil and Claudia Haase

New Center to Guide Ethical Tech Policy

September 23, 2025

Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy has launched a new initiative to explore how rapid technological change can be guided by both scientific research and values of fairness, ethics, and social good.

Kathleen DuVal and Bryan Brayboy

Dean, Alumni Join Printers Row Lit Fest

September 03, 2025

School of Education and Social Policy Dean Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy will speak with Pulitzer Prize-winner Kathleen DuVal during the 40th annual Printers Row Lit Fest—the largest literary festival in the Midwest and one of the longest-running in the country.

MSLOC Book Talk: Ready for Disruption?

August 14, 2025

Aaron Olson and BK Simerson, co-authors of Strategy and Change, will discuss how business leaders can make insightful decisions and manage risk in unpredictable environments.

Zuviriya Anarwala

Language Lover Builds Rumaan Academy

August 10, 2025

Zuviriya Anarwala may be preparing to teach English, but that’s just one of six languages she speaks. A self-described “lover of languages,” she also speaks Gujarati (her native language), Hindi, Urdu, Turkish and Arabic.

Julia Narvaez Munguia

From Doubt to Dual Degrees

August 04, 2025

When Julia Narvaez Munguia arrived at Northwestern, she faced a tough decision: journalism or education and social policy?

Doctoral Students Honored

June 19, 2025

A dozen new PhDs were honored and gifted regalia before the 2025 convocation celebration during the second annual doctoral robing ceremony at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy.

Larissa FastHorse

Larissa FastHorse: ‘Take a Big Swing’

June 17, 2025

Award-winning writer and choreographer Larissa FastHorse encouraged graduates to say “no” at times when others may feel forced into a “yes” during her 2025 convocation address at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy.

Amanda Litman

Litman: “Cultivate a Thick Skin”

June 12, 2025

Amanda Litman is on a mission to help young people run for political office. For the brave souls who do, she offers a warning: Prepare to be unpopular.

Northwestern Launches MOD for Emerging Leaders

June 06, 2025

Applications are open for Northwestern University’s new Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics (MOD) for recent college graduates seeking to become leaders in learning, change, and innovation across today’s complex workplaces.

Student presenting to the mayor's office

Crafting Child Policy

May 20, 2025

Northwestern undergraduates wrestled with complex challenges in early childhood education before presenting policy recommendations to the Mayor's Office.

Scholarships Expand Opportunities

May 09, 2025

A new Northwestern University-powered scholarship initiative is designed to help Evanston students find and join high-quality after-school or summer programs.

heart trophy logo

BitCrush: Evanston’s First Music + Code Competition

May 09, 2025

The BitCrush Music + Code Competition, a new kind of performance, debuts on May 10 at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center in Evanston as part of a day celebrating science, technology engineering, math and music.

Zenzile Riddick Joins SESP Faculty

April 14, 2025

Zenzile Riddick, whose research straddles education, history and Black Studies, has joined the School of Education and Social Policy as assistant professor of human development and social policy.

Bryan Brayboy

Brayboy To Speak at CNAIR Research Symposium

April 07, 2025

Bryan Brayboy, Dean of Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy and the Carlos Montezuma Professor, will deliver a keynote for the 7th annual Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) research symposium.

FUSE FUTURES Day Celebrates Learning

March 25, 2025

Chicago middle school students explored virtual welding, robotics, and more at FUSE FUTURES, a celebration of science, technology, engineering, arts and math programs and career paths at Richard J. Daley College.

Angela Dixon

Angela Dixon Joins SESP Faculty

March 24, 2025

Sociologist Angela Dixon, whose current research investigates how lives and families are transformed by loss, has joined Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy as assistant professor of learning sciences.

Nicol Turner Lee and Nik Marda

New Master’s Program Welcomes Lee, Marda

March 12, 2025

Tech policy experts Nicol Turner Lee and Nik Marda will be teaching classes for the School of Education and Social Policy’s newest offering, the Master’s in Technology, People, and Policy program.

Global Practicum Program Expands

March 11, 2025

Undergraduate students will be able to complete their practicum through the Global Engagement Summer Institute (GESI) study abroad program beginning in summer of 2025.

Easterday: Start Civic Education Early

March 10, 2025

Early exposure to civic education is essential to a functioning society, but it’s often taught too late in life or not at all, according to Matt Easterday, associate professor of learning sciences at Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy.

Stefanie DeLuca

Alumna Returns as IPR’s Inaugural Visiting Scholar

February 19, 2025

Alumna Stefanie DeLuca (PhD02), a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University and one of the nation’s leading experts on housing mobility, vouchers, and policy will be joining Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research as its inaugural visiting scholar in May 2025.

Nia Coffey Inducted into Hall of Fame

February 19, 2025

School of Education and Social Policy alumna and basketball standout Nia Coffey (BS17) was one of nine Wildcats inducted into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame.

A Professor and a Comedian Walk Into a Bar

February 07, 2025

In a world where academics and stand-up comics rarely share the stage, the new podcast A Professor and a Comedian Walk Into a Bar is doing something unique: mixing scholarly insights with humor.

Lessons From the White House

January 21, 2025

When professor Kirabo Jackson first arrived at the White House last year, he had flashbacks to his intense grad school days.

Ahn Named Marshall Scholar

December 19, 2024

Kaylyn Ahn won a prestigious 2025 Marshall Scholarship to study public policy at the University of Oxford in England. Ahn, the first School of Education and Social Policy student to receive the award, is Northwestern’s 29th overall winner.

graduates of the MSSEP program

Graduates Earn Two Prestigious Master’s Degrees

December 12, 2024

For Denise Si Rui Tan, graduate school often felt like a marathon—daunting, intense, and exhausting. But by the end of her journey earning two master’s degrees in two different cultures, she was forever changed.

Musa al-Gharbi

Musa al-Gharbi on Elitism and Wokeness

October 29, 2024

Sociologist Musa al-Gharbi, the author of We Have Never Been Woke: The Contradictions of a New Elite, emphasized the importance of diverse perspectives and the challenges of ideological diversity in academia during the 2024 Ray and Nancy Loeschner Lecture Series on Leadership at Northwestern University.

SESP, Medill Offer Fellowships to Journalists

October 10, 2024

The application period is open for the SESP/Medill Education Journalism Collaborative, which pairs three working journalists with master’s students on education projects.

Adrija Bhattacharjee

Shining a Light on Bangladeshi Student Protests

October 01, 2024

The violence in Bangladesh during student-led anti-government protests in August deeply affected Adrija Bhattacharjee, a graduate student at Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy.

Musa al-Gharbi

Musa al-Gharbi to Deliver Annual Loeschner Lecture

September 24, 2024

Sociologist Musa al-Gharbi, who argues that many who embrace progressive “social justice” causes actively benefit from and perpetuate the inequalities they decry, is the featured speaker for the 2024 Ray and Nancy Loeschner Lecture Series on Leadership at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21 at Northwestern University.

Mike Horn teaching students TunePad

Northwestern Secures $1.2 Million Grant to Train STEM Educators

September 18, 2024

Northwestern University received a $1.2 million award from the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program to provide scholarships to undergraduate STEM majors who want to pursue teaching in high-needs school districts.

Liz Shulman

Shulman: Do We Really Want to Outsource Imagination?

September 12, 2024

AI's ability to instantaneously generate content is threatening student creativity, especially during the college application process, Elizabeth Shulman wrote in an opinion piece in Newsweek.

Hailey Danz holding the American flag

SESP Athletes Shine at the Paris Olympics

September 11, 2024

School of Education and Social Policy student athletes and alumni returned from the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics with medals, career bests, and unforgettable experiences. Here’s a quick update on how our athletes did.

David Rapp

David Rapp: 'Reading Made Me Who I Am'

August 30, 2024

When David Rapp was in high school, he worked in one of his favorite places in the world: The public library. There, the teenager was put in charge of literary classics, magazines, science fiction, and humor sections, all genres he still adores.

Tammy Williams

Softball Standout Named Top Financial Advisor

August 15, 2024

Softball Hall of Famer Tammy Williams wasn’t quite sure which direction to take her career after graduation. She kept playing her sport at elite levels, earned a master’s in business administration, and soon realized she had a knack for both numbers and helping people.

Daphne Chan

Olympians Head to Paris

July 24, 2024

The 2024 Olympic Games begin Friday, July 26, followed by the Paralympic Games on Aug. 28. Of the 13 athletes and two coaches affiliated with Northwestern University, four have a connection with the School of Education and Social Policy.

McCann To Receive Alumni Medal

July 22, 2024

Alumna Renetta McCann, a global leader in advertising, media, and organizational change, will receive the alumni medal, Northwestern University’s Alumni Association’s highest honor.

Scholar Athletes Set School Record

July 18, 2024

Thirty-seven student athletes from Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition in 2023-24, setting a new School record.

Haase Wins Ver Steeg Fellowship

June 25, 2024

Developmental psychologist Claudia Haase received the 19th annual Dorothy Ann and Clarence L. Ver Steeg Distinguished Research Fellowship Award for her work probing the mysteries behind emotions and relationships.

Avery Hirschfield

2024 Undergraduate Honors and Awards

June 12, 2024

Avery Hirschfield, who studied learning and organizational change and minored in psychology, received the School of Education and Social Policy’s Alumni Leadership Award for her work as president and co-director of the Global Engagement Summit, a student-led conference uniting entrepreneurs across the world.

Convocation 2024: ‘Go, Go, Go, and Human’

June 12, 2024

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Mitchell S. Jackson encouraged graduates to reflect on the meaning of “human” and use it as a verb during his 2024 convocation address at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy (SESP).

Sepehr Vakil

AI in Education: Considering Ethics and Power

June 07, 2024

Difficult ethical and moral questions will play a central role in whether artificial intelligence will expand opportunities and equity in STEM education or make things worse, professor Sepehr Vakil said during his closing keynote at a National Science Foundation convening of principal investigators.

Carol Lee

A Complex Legacy: 70 Years Since Brown v. Board

June 05, 2024

On the 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision, Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy and the Pritzker School of Law explore the lingering impact of 1950s integration policies on today’s students.

Eight honors students pose in front of Annenberg with faculty and staff

Meet SESP’s 2024 Honors Students

June 05, 2024

Anxiety, identity, and mentorship emerged as key themes for honors students at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy, who were recognized during a faculty meeting and presented their work at a poster session.

Headshot of Mitchell Jackson

Mitchell S. Jackson: Searching for Humanity

May 30, 2024

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Mitchell S. Jackson talked about the liberating power of fiction and his techniques for profiling famously polarizing figures during a wide-ranging conversation with Dean Bryan Brayboy.

David Uttal, a professor of psychology, talks about his research during an investiture ceremony

David Uttal: Maps, Space, and Place

May 08, 2024

David Uttal was 13 years old when he took a wrong turn on a hiking trail in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Rescuers searched for him on foot, trail bike, jeep, and by air, probing thick underbrush and steep ridges across 60,000 acres.

Mitchell S. Jackson

Mitchell S. Jackson to Speak at Convocation

April 29, 2024

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Mitchell S. Jackson, the John O. Whiteman Dean’s Distinguished Professorship in the English Department of Arizona State University, will be the featured speaker during the 2024 School of Education and Social Policy Convocation ceremony at Northwestern University.

Alivia Britton and Mel McDaniel of the School of Communication are the 2024 co-chairs for Northwestern’s third annual student-run Pow Wow.

Spring Pow Wow: Honoring the Water

April 24, 2024

Undergraduates Alivia Britton (left) and Mel McDaniel are co-chairs of Northwestern University’s annual student-run Spring Pow Wow, an intergenerational cultural celebration sponsored by the Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance.

SESP Ranked No. 5 by U.S. News

April 09, 2024

For the second year in a row, Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) has been ranked among the top five graduate schools of education according to the 2024-25 U.S. News and World Report Best Education Graduate Schools rankings.

SESP's New Home: The Jacobs Center

March 15, 2024

Excitement is building as Northwestern begins preparations on one of the University’s top priorities, to turn the Donald P. Jacobs Center into a new hub for the social sciences and global studies.

Still Trying to Change the World

March 06, 2024

When Renetta McCann was inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Fame last year, some of her admirers created a website, filled with such tributes to the trailblazer as “Thanks for lifting as you climb,” and “So glad she’s in my corner.”

Megan Bang: 'Indian law is American law'

February 22, 2024

Native scholars and law professionals, including School of Education and Social Policy Dean Bryan Brayboy and professor Megan Bang, participated in the conference “100 Years Back, 100 Years Forward: Sovereignty, Community, and Indigenous Futures,” at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

Two Degrees. Two Cultures. Infinite Possibilities.

January 11, 2024

Calling her own 17-month experience an “epic adventure,” Ning Yu urged her classmates to embrace adversity and turn obstacles into opportunities during her Master of Science in Social and Economic Policy convocation remarks at Northwestern University’s Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall.

Headshot of OiYan Poon

Affirmative Action: In Conversation With OiYan Poon

January 09, 2024

Scholar and author OiYan Poon will lead a conversation about race, education, and leadership for a diverse democracy in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to strike down race-conscious college admissions.

Ritu Tripathi

Tripathi Joins SESP Faculty

September 26, 2023

Ritu Tripathi, an expert in organizational behavior and cross-cultural psychology, has joined Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy as assistant professor of instruction.

student on camera

New Dual Degree Combines Social Policy + Journalism

September 12, 2023

In response to the rapidly changing journalism industry, Northwestern University has launched a new five-year dual degree program between the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) and Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

Tennis Hall of Famer Returns to Northwestern

September 11, 2023

Georgia Rose Munns (BS09), whose career brought incredible success to the women’s tennis program, has been named assistant women’s tennis coach at Northwestern University.

Ana Paula Melo and Tommy Wells

E4 Welcomes New Visiting Scholars

August 09, 2023

Scholars Ana Paula Melo and Tommy Wells have been named early career visiting fellows at Northwestern University's Center for Education Efficacy, Excellence, and Equity (E4) for the 2023-24 academic year.

women's lacrosse players celebrating

Meet Our Distinguished Scholar Athletes

July 07, 2023

Twenty-five Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy athletes earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition, an award given to students who maintain a grade point average of 3.70 or higher and earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition in the previous academic year.

Ekpedeme “Pamay” Bassey

Convocation 2023: ‘Nothing Thrives in Isolation’

June 14, 2023

Ekpedeme “Pamay” Bassey challenged School of Education and Social Policy graduates to embrace the power of lifelong learning, ask hard questions, and practice “everyday courage” during the 2023 convocation celebration at Northwestern University’s Ryan Fieldhouse.

Kristine Lu and Matt Easterday

Reaching the Top: Meet Our New PhDs

June 10, 2023

Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy celebrated students who received doctorates during the annual convocation ceremony at Ryan Fieldhouse.

Ekpedeme “Pamay” Bassey

SESP Announces 2023 Convocation Speaker

May 01, 2023

Northwestern University alumna Ekpedeme “Pamay” Bassey, chief learning and diversity officer for the Kraft Heinz Company, will be the featured speaker during the 2023 School of Education and Social Policy Convocation ceremony.

Annenberg with flowers blooming

SESP Ranked Third Best School of Education

April 25, 2023

Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) was ranked No. 3 in the 2023-24 U.S. News and World Report Best Education Graduate Schools rankings.

Sneha Kumar

Meet SESP's Newest Faculty Member: Sneha Kumar

April 07, 2023

Sneha Kumar, a social demographer whose research explores health inequalities across the life course in some of the most populous countries in the world–including Indonesia, India, China, and Brazil– has joined Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy as an assistant professor of human development and social policy.

Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy

Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy Named Dean

March 29, 2023 – from Northwestern Now

Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy (Lumbee) of Arizona State University has been named dean of Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy, effective June 1.

Paula Olszewski-Kubilius

Longtime CTD Director Announces Retirement

March 14, 2023

Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, one of the world’s leading figures in the field of talent development and gifted education, is retiring after nearly four decades at Northwestern University.

Roger Schank

In Memoriam: Roger Schank (March 12, 1946 – Jan. 29, 2023)

March 13, 2023

Roger Schank, an outspoken theorist and researcher in artificial intelligence and cognitive science, founded the interdisciplinary Institute for the Learning Sciences (ILS) at Northwestern University in 1989. His vision gave birth to an entirely new interdisciplinary field of academic research: Learning Sciences.

MAPSCorps members standing on rocks at the lake

Northwestern Launches New Era of MAPSCorps

March 02, 2023

The School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) is launching a new iteration of MAPSCorps, a national model for training and employing high school and college students to work in STEM as community data scientists.

MSSEP students in regalia waving

Northwestern Confers Dual Master’s Degrees

December 28, 2022

The world’s first cohort of students to earn a dual master’s degree in applied economics and social and economic policy received their diplomas on Dec. 9, 2022, at Northwestern University’s McCormick Auditorium during a ceremony that highlighted the importance of cross-cultural understanding.

ELOC participants speaking

Exec Ed Coaching Certificate Earns Distinction

December 16, 2022

Northwestern University’s leadership coaching certificate for experienced professionals has been recognized by the non-profit Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE).

Dan P. McAdams with Michael Schill

Welcome to SESP, President Schill

November 01, 2022

Northwestern University President Michael Schill met with Interim Dean Dan P. McAdams, students, faculty, and staff and learned about several of SESP’s research initiatives and programs during his first visit to the School of Education and Social Policy.

Brian Reiser

Brian Reiser Appointed Orrington Lunt Professor

October 10, 2022

Northwestern University’s Brian Reiser, whose life work has helped make science education more relevant and meaningful for children, has been appointed the Orrington Lunt Professor of Education and Social Policy.

Nichole Pinkard

Pinkard Appointed Alice Hamilton Professor

October 04, 2022

School of Education and Social Policy alumna Nichole Pinkard (PhD98), a leading thinker on the design of educational ecosystems, was appointed the inaugural Alice Hamilton Professor of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy.

Hannes Schwandt

Schwandt Promoted to Associate Professor

September 14, 2022

Hannes Schwandt, an economist who studies the relationships between health, wealth, and overall well-being, has been promoted to associate professor of human development and social policy at the School of Education and Social Policy.

Lilah Shapiro

Shapiro Promoted to Associate Professor of Instruction

September 07, 2022

Northwestern University sociologist Lilah Shapiro, who is known for inspiring her students to think carefully and critically about their responsibilities in our complex world, has been promoted to associate professor of instruction at the School of Education and Social Policy.

Milan, Italy sunset

SESP Adds International Practicum Site

September 07, 2022

Undergraduates at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy have a new option for their junior year practicum: Milan, Italy.

child smiling

Undergraduate Elementary Teaching Program Launched

September 06, 2022

Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) has opened a new pathway for aspiring teachers by creating a concentration in undergraduate elementary teaching that follows an interdisciplinary curriculum.

Terri Sabol

Sabol Promoted to Associate Professor

August 26, 2022

Psychologist Terri Sabol, who examines how classrooms, families and neighborhoods impact a child’s early development, has been promoted to associate professor of human development and social policy at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy.

Michael Horn

Mike Horn Promoted to Full Professor

August 23, 2022

Michael Horn, whose research has modernized museums and introduced musical approaches to coding, has been promoted to full professor at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy.

Kimberly Scott

Scott to Lead Innovation and Program Development

July 26, 2022

Northwestern University’s Kimberly Scott was named associate dean for innovation and program development at the School of Education and Social Policy, Interim Dean Dan P. McAdams announced.

Convocation 2022: ‘A Tender Time in Education’

June 15, 2022

Scholar Na’ilah Suad Nasir urged graduates to help build a “true multicultural democracy” by rethinking the status quo during the School of Education and Social Policy’s 2022 convocation celebration at Northwestern University’s Ryan Fieldhouse.

Dr. Naomi Blaushild holding a bottle of champagne aloft

Lifelong Learners Earn Doctorates

June 08, 2022

Eight Northwestern University graduate students recently reached the pinnacle of education, earning doctoral degrees in three of the School of Education and Social Policy's pioneering programs: Learning Sciences, Human Development and Social Policy, and Computer Science and Learning Sciences (CS + LS), a joint degree with the McCormick School of Engineering.

Tabitha Bonilla

Bonilla Promoted to Associate Professor

June 06, 2022

Northwestern University’s Tabitha Bonilla, a political scientist who studies how communication influences public support for policies, has been promoted to associate professor of human development and social policy at the School of Education and Social Policy.

woman walking next to el train

Gift from Potocsnak Family Endows College Prep Program

May 16, 2022 – from Northwestern Now

The Potocsnak family has made a new multimillion-dollar gift to Northwestern in honor of President Morton Schapiro, who concludes his tenure in August after 13 years at the University.

Na’ilah Suad Nasir

Convocation Features Spencer President Na’ilah Suad Nasir

March 30, 2022

Na’ilah Suad Nasir, president of the Chicago-based Spencer Foundation, will address more than 300 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral graduates during the 2022 School of Education and Social Policy Convocation ceremony.

Na'ilah Suad Nasir

Convocation Features Spencer President Na’ilah Suad Nasir

March 30, 2022

Na’ilah Suad Nasir, president of the Chicago-based Spencer Foundation, will address more than 300 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral graduates during the 2022 School of Education and Social Policy Convocation ceremony.

Connor Bain pointing

Meet SESP's Newest PhD's

March 10, 2022

Sixteen Northwestern University graduate students earned doctoral degrees in three of the School of Education and Social Policy's pioneering programs: Learning Sciences, Human Development and Social Policy, and Computer Science and Learning Sciences (CS + LS), a joint degree with the McCormick School of Engineering.

bow-tie wearing boy on tablet screen

Learn How to Teach Social and Emotional Learning Skills

January 13, 2022

Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy is launching a six-week certificate course to help teachers incorporate important social and emotional learning skills into the classroom.